How do you cope with interruptions at work?
I'm a developer and love the idea of committing chunks of uninterrupted time in order to focus, progress faster and produce material results. I like the Pomodoro technique (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique) and use it myself sometimes. Some of my coworkers do too.
I however have found at least two problems while I'm in a Pomodoro:
- Let my colleagues know: some of my coworkers and clients might not know I'm in focused mode. I tried setting Do-Not-Disturb in Slack to signal that, but I don't always succeed to set it and then un-set it when finished. I also tried ignoring notifications until the Pomodoro is over, but a notification is already a distraction, and you could have many.
- Sync with my colleagues: if my colleagues are doing Pomodoros too, it might happen that when I'm available my colleagues are not. It's a catch-22. Would be great to somehow sync our efforts, so we're focusing and non-focusing at the same time.
I've checked several tools online but none of them seem convincing. Does any of you guys do Pomodoros at work? What's your experience? Thanks!
Ear plugs have helped us a lot with that.
I'm thinking of building a version of www.focusmate.com for teams. It's basically pomodoro with an accountability partner. If you check it out I'd be interested to know how it compares to pomodoro and whether you'd be interested in a team version (where you do Focusmate with a colleague), as a way to solve your second issue. It may also solve problem 1 because people will see you're on a video call, though you might want to just pick up one of those Busy/Free Red/Green signs somewhere, e.g.: https://www.amazon.com/Busy-Pomodoro-Status-Alert-Office/dp/B01E48XTCE.
Interesting site (focusmate), my use of applications already hogs up a lot of memory, wonder what always-on video would do, but might try it.
I'll sure try this one. I guess I can do a variant just with an ad-hoc call with someone on the team using Slack or other conferencing tools.
After trying Focusmate and liking it, I decided I'd build a quick tool for my team to test it out. I think working with a random teammate instead of a total stranger could have some benefits. I'll report the results on Monday.
I think the only way to solve this problem is to develop a system with your teammates. My business partner and I have almost opposite schedules for our optimal best working times. After lots of headaches trying to sync our focus times with one or the other person, we decided it didn't work.
I have to work early in the morning and she has to work late in the afternoon into the evening on focused tasks. So we plan to discuss important things midday after I've worked 5-6 hours and then hand off important news/tasks before I have afternoon and evening meetings. We've found it's much harder to change work habits than to just meet literally in the middle and for me to be available for random questions in the afternoon.
Does this always work? Nope. We do whatever needs to be done to adjust our day and give each other the focused time together and apart. I would suggest trying to set a standup meeting before your focused time every day and say "what do you guys absolutely need from me for the next 2-3 hours?" and "anything that isn't mission critical, please make a note for the post-focus meeting to discuss."
Hey Jordi.
I have had success using pomodoro, but it fails for me for the exact reason that you mentioned. The unplanned interruptions in an inconsiderate office space. Also, 20 min just isn't enough sometimes.
I use a little system with a piece of paper to ensure productivity. It's almost like a daily scrum. I fold the piece of paper 5 times and on it put 5 to do's. I even made a little template that I print off and use. See file here (https://drive.google.com/open?id=18iB_pDh9sAR96c9nju2OSHD1cc7g_7tT)
This is how I prioritize them:
We often over estimate what is possible in a day. So I think if I did only one thing that day, what would make feel accomplished that day? I put that at the top.
My goal is to get at least 3/5 of the tasks done. If the other two are still important I will add them to the list tomorrow.
It's simple but effective for me.
Agreed, I only plan to do "one thing" every day. If that thing is done, I'm happy, if I'm done before the end of the day, I pick up the next thing that fits in the time I have available
I agree that to code effectively you need large chunks of uninterrupted time to focus. It doesn’t work otherwise.
The best general suggestions I have are noise cancelling headphones, shut off email and slack (just check it once or twice a day, there is really no need to be always on, trust me).
If co-workers are physically bugging you than the only option is moving to a different environment.